| Kat Griefen, Director • email info@airgallery.org • gallery hours Wednesday through Sunday • 11am to 6pm |
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| 111 Front Street • #228 • Brooklyn, NY 11201 • phone 212.255.6651 • fax 212.255.6653 |
| A.I.R. GALLERY - Advocating for women in the visual arts since 1972. | |||||||||||||
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 Thank you to everyone who helped make the events surrounding National Women's History Month a great success! A.I.R. Gallery and partners, including the Feminist Art Project and the National Women's History Project, held a city-wide celebration of women in the arts. As part of this month of events, A.I.R. held an Inaugural Gala at the Puck Building on March 30, 2008. This event was dedicated to the accomplishments of women artists and those who have been crucial to the success of women in the arts. The day began with The National Women's History Project's High Tea and Honoring Ceremony. Unique to this year was a theme dedicated to women in the arts, Women’s Art: Women’s Vision. With this year’s theme in mind, the honorees were Judy Chicago, Edna Hibel, Lihua Lei, Violet Oakley, Rose O’Neill, Faith Ringgold, Miriam Schapiro, Lorna Simpson, and two of A.I.R.’s founding members: Harmony Hammond and Nancy Spero. As Molly Murphy MacGregor (executive director and co-founder of the National Women’s History Project) said in her speech, “This year’s Honorees, in addition to being acclaimed artists, have used their energy, innovation, and determination … to educate society about the importance of women’s artistic expression.” During this event, musician Nicholas Deutsch provided entertainment, performing songs from world-renowned female singer/songwriters as well as original selections. A special thanks to Lifetime Entertainment who was a major sponsor of this event. The evening was dedicated to A.I.R.’s Inaugural Gala. This eclectic event showcased women artists of different genres, including visual, musical, and lyrical. Throughout the night was an exhibition and sale of works by A.I.R. Gallery artists from 1972 to present, including work by A.I.R.’s founding artists. Also featured was The Feminist Fashion Show and Installation, created by 2004-2005 A.I.R. Fellowship Recipient Enid Crow in collaboration with designers and BUST Magazine. Also on view were two films: Taking Residence and Pushing Boundaries: The Art & Life of Grace Hartigan. Taking Residence is a short film by Meredith Drum that combines exclusive new interviews with art world luminaries with early footages and stills from the A.I.R. archive. The documentary Pushing Boundaries was directed by Murray Grigor. This film tells the story of Grace Hartigan, providing insight to renowned, yet unrecognized artist through interviews with her students, curators, critics, as well as Hartigan herself. The awards presentation and dinner also provided an opportunity to showcase women artists and their benefactors. The focal point of the evening was the launch of the New York City Art to Life Awards with A.I.R. Gallery and Art and Living Magazine, and sponsored by Axa. This award was given to three galleries and three art professionals recognized for dedication to advance the status of women artists. The recipients of this award were: Judith K. Brodsky, Dr. Ferris Olin, Dr. Elizabeth A. Sackler, ACA Galleries, Flomenhaft Gallery, and P.P.O.W. The end of this evening included a poetry reading and musical performance. Poet Eileen Myles (described as “a cult figure to a generation of post-punk females forming their own literary avant garde,” by Holland Cotter of the New York Times) preformed her original works. And, musician V. DaNeesa Monk with the Brooklyn Sound closed the event with an amazing performance. In addition, A.I.R. Gallery celebrated National Women’s History Month with Artwalks and two panel discussions. Artwalk Chelsea showcased nine Chelsea galleries who represent or currently exhibit prominent women artists, this group included the Betty Cunningham Gallery and Claire Oliver Gallery. Panel: DIY Feminisms: From Pioneer to Punk to Post Digital focused on the emergence of feminism in the arts and the do-it-yourself revolution. This event was moderated by Judith K. Brodsky and A.I.R.’s director Kat Griefen and featured panelists Daria Dorosh (founding member of A.I.R.), Kathleen Hanna (artist and founder of the Riot Grrl Movement), and Raphaele Shirley (video artist and co-founder of PAM–Perpetual Art Machine).The second panel, Beyond the Waves: Feminist Artists Talk Across Generations was at the Elizabeth Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum and featured panelists Susan Bee, Emma Bee Bernstein, Carolee Schneemann, Mira Shor, and Brynna Tucker. Again, thank you to all those who supported A.I.R.'s Inaugural Gala, especially our sponsors.
IMAGES FROM A.I.R. GALA, March 28, 2008
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